How to Download Audible to Mac Easily: A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Summary:This guide presents 3 ways to download Audible books to your Mac computer. Whether you want to download Audible Mac for listening on the computer, or download it to your Mac's hard drive to transfer to a mobile device, you'll find the right tutorial here.
When I first tried to download Audible on my Mac to listen offline, I hit a wall: there isn't a true Mac desktop app. I messed with a few downloaders and plenty just didn't play nice with newer macOS.
The good news? I landed on three easy ways to download Audible to Mac that actually work, and I've used these to stash over 200 books effortlessly. Now I'll show you exactly how I download Audible on my MacBook step by step.
Method 1: Download Audible to Mac from the Website [Official]
This method is the official, recommended approach: You can download offline files (.aax) directly from the Library page on the Audible website, then import and authorize them in Apple Books/iTunes.
Step 1: Sign in to Audible and Open Your Library
Open the Audible website in your browser and sign in with your Amazon or Audible account. After signing in, in the site's navigation, go to Library.
Step 2: Find the Audiobook You Want to Download
In Library, you can see all the audiobooks you've purchased. If you subscribe to Audible Plus, you'll also see titles from the Plus catalog. Locate the audiobook you want to download. If your library is large, use the search box to find the title quickly.
Step 3: Download Audible Books to Mac
Once you've located the audiobook, you should see a Download button for eligible purchases. Click Download and your browser will save an .aax offline file to your default Downloads folder.
That's it, the audiobook file is now on your Mac. However, it won't play yet. You need to import the .aax file into Apple Books or iTunes to play it.
Step 4: Import the Downloaded Audible file into Apple Books/iTunes
1. Import into Apple Books or iTunes
- On macOS Catalina or later: open Apple Books > File > Import, choose the .aax you just downloaded. You can also drag and drop the file into Books in Apple Books windows.
- On macOS Mojave or earlier: Run iTunes. Click File › Add to Library… and select the downloaded .aax file, or you can drag the .aax into the iTunes window. The title will appear under Library > Audiobooks after authorization.
2. Authorize Your Mac for Audible (first playback)
The first time you play an Audible .aax in Books, macOS will prompt you to authorize this Mac with your Audible account. Sign in as prompted. After authorization, playback will work normally.
Method 2: Download Audible to Mac in Audible App [For Apple Silicon Mac]
You might wonder, "Why use the website? Is there a desktop app for Audible?" There isn't a Mac-native desktop app, but there's a workaround: if your Mac uses Apple silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and runs macOS 11 Big Sur or later, you can install the iPhone/iPad version of Audible from the Mac App Store and download titles inside the app.
Step 1: Install the iPhone/iPad Audible app from the Mac App Store
Open the Mac App Store and search for Audible. In the results, switch to "iPhone & iPad Apps", then find Audible: Audiobooks & Podcasts, which is labeled Designed for iPad. Click Get. This option appears only on Apple-silicon Macs.
Step 2: Launch Audible and sign in
Open the Audible app and sign in with your Amazon/Audible account. Go to Library to view your audiobooks.
Step 3: Download in-app for offline listening on Your Mac
In Library, open the title you want and tap the Download icon. After it finishes, you can listen offline.
Method 3: Download Audible Books on Mac with Libation
Clearly, the first two official methods have limits, especially the limited format and titles. If some audiobooks don't show a Download button on the website, or if you want formats like MP3 so you aren't locked to a single device or app, you can use the third-party free Audible downloader Libation.
Libation is a free Audible downloader and library manager for macOS. Unlike the official web method, it can import your account from different Audible regions, download and remove DRM in one click, and output M4B or MP3. That means you don't have to listen only in iTunes or Apple Books, you can also put the files on MP3 players or non-Apple devices. As a purpose-built audiobook tool, it can also fetch cover art and lets you tag and search your library. Although there were reports a year or two ago about macOS compatibility, Libation has kept updating; the latest 12.8.2 release (Dec 12, 2025) includes updated macOS install instructions.
How to download audible on mac with Libation? The following is a detailed tutorial.
Step 1: Download and Install Libation
Go to the GitHub Releases page and download the installer that matches your Mac's CPU architecture.
- For Apple Silicon, the file name typically looks like: …-macOS-chardonnay-arm64.dmg.
- For Intel, the file name typically looks like: …-macOS-chardonnay-x64.dmg.
- If needed, Libation also provides Windows and Linux builds on the same Releases page.
Step 2: Open Libation and Sign in to Tour Audible Library
Launch the Libation Audible downloader. In the "Libation: Liberate your Library" window, go to Settings › Accounts….
Libation will open an Audible Accounts dialog. In this dialogue, enter your Audible email/login, add your locale/region, and then click Save.
An Audible sign-in page will pop up. Sign in with the same account and password you just entered.
If you have multiple accounts, in the Audible Accounts dialog, tick Include in library scan for the account whose books you want Libation to detect. Any account you tick will be scanned shortly.
Step 3: Load your Audible audiobooks in Libation
Return to the Libation main window. Go to Import › Scan library. Libation will sync and load all available titles from your Audible account.
Step 4: Choose the format you want to download
By default, Libation outputs .m4b. If that suits you, you can skip this step.
If you prefer .mp3, go to Settings > Settings > Audio File Options and enable "Download my books as .MP3 files (transcode if necessary)". Libation will decode the source and re-encode to MP3 for broader device compatibility.
Step 5: Download Audible to your Mac with Libation
Select the titles you want, then click the traffic-light (Liberate) icon next to a book to start the download. Libation will save the DRM-free files to your chosen Libation books folder on Mac.
Bonus: How to Download Audible books on Windows?
BookFab Audible Converter is an audiobook downloader for Windows. After you log in via its built-in browser, you can download your Audible titles in MP3/M4B/FLAC/WAV/OPUS formats with chapters and cover art preserved. It can also remove the Audible DRM like Libation on macOS so that you can enjoy your Audible books on almost any player and device.
1. Open the Audible Converter module and sign in
In BookFab, choose Audible Converter, then use the internal browser to sign in to your Audible account.
2. Pick an Audible book and start download
Browse your Audible library inside BookFab. When you select a title, BookFab analyzes the page and shows a Download dialogue. Set the output format and audio quality, then click Download button to fetch and convert.
3. Import and play on MacBook/iPhone/iPad or other devices
Import the created files into iTunes/Apple Music, sync to your iPhone/iPad, or play them on any compatible player.
FAQ
A. To iPhone / iPad (via Apple Books & Finder)
- If you've already added the book to Apple Books on Mac (whether it's .aax or DRM-free .m4b/.mp3), connect your iPhone/iPad to the Mac, open Finder, and select your device in the sidebar.
- Click the Audiobooks tab, check Sync audiobooks onto [device], choose the titles, then click Apply. After syncing, play them in Books › Audiobooks on iPhone/iPad.
B. To non-Apple phones/tablets (e.g., Android)
Upload the files to a cloud drive such as Google Drive, then download them on the Android device to save locally for playback.
C. To an MP3 player
Connect the MP3 player to your computer with a USB cable. Most players mount like a USB drive (MSC)—just drag and drop the MP3s into the MUSIC or Audiobooks folder on the device, then safely eject.
Yes, but depending on your chip and macOS version.
- If you have an Apple silicon Mac (M-series) running macOS 11 Big Sur or later, you can install the iPhone/iPad version of Audible from the Mac App Store and use it on your Mac. Look for the "Designed for iPad/iPhone" label in the store listing.
- If you have an Intel Mac, or your system is too old, you can't install the iPhone/iPad Audible app on macOS.
Conclusion
Although Audible does not provide a native app for Mac computers, downloading Audible to Mac is still quite easy. You can download Audible files from the official website, or use the iPad version of the Audible app to download books for offline listening. For users needing playback on multiple devices, using a tool like Libation is a good choice. Of course, advanced Audible downloader tools like Libation aren't exclusive to Mac; if you are a Windows user, you might want to try BookFab Audible Converter, which uses a built-in browser to directly download Audible books as MP3 and other formats.
